List of The Hardy Boys Characters - Callie Shaw

Callie is the girlfriend of the elder Hardy boy, Frank Hardy, she first appeared in 1927 in the very first volume of the series, and she appeared or was mentioned in almost all of the following 57 volumes (as well as most of subsequent 'Digest' series), but never had an important role until 1987 and the death of best friend, Iola Morton in The Hardy Boys Casefiles #1 Dead on Target. She is mentioned as a blonde with brown eyes and has a tendency to start giggling like mad for no reason.

Original series

Other than being described as ‘‘Frank's favorite date’’ and ‘‘one of the prettiest girls attending Bayport high school’’, the virginal Callie does not have much, if any of a role in first 58 books, however, from book 59 (Night Of The Werewolf) till book 190 (Motocross Madness), Callie is made to be more of a modern woman (depending on the decade in which the stories were written) and is not presented to be a "frail" woman as in the stories from the 1920s to the 1970s, but she is still retains her personality and characteristics of the earlier books.

In the original books Callie lives with her older cousin Pollie Shaw, the proprietor of a beauty parlor in Bayport, while her parents live in the country, sending her an allowance to pay for her expenses. However in 1959, she lives with her parents, only a few blocks away from the Hardys’ home, where she lives for the remainder of the series, and spin-off series.

Casefiles

Callie's role is greatly increased in the Casefiles series, following the death of Iola in book #1, no longer is she merely Frank's date, but a competitive, brave, young woman, who is always ready to assist the Hardys on their cases, whether they want her to or not. Working on their cases, Callie saves the Hardy brothers, more than once, notably in book #8 See No Evil and #80 Dead of Night. The Hardy Boys spend much of the latter novel mourning her, incorrectly thinking she has been slain. In some of the early Casefiles, she and Frank's younger brother, Joe occasionally seem to be at odds, by the end of the series however, they get along quite well.

Undercover Brothers

In the current Hardy Boys series Callie's role has again been reduced; so far 20 books into the series she has only appeared once and is no longer described as Frank's girlfriend, but just as a ‘‘close friend of the Hardys’’.

TV portraits

In the 1970s TV show, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Callie was played by Lisa Eilbacher. In the show Callie works part time for the Hardy boys dad, Fenton Hardy (Ed Gilbert).